


Wolves come home.

by TurtleLoveNote



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alexandria Safe-Zone, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, F/M, Fix-It, M/M, Multi, Relationship(s), Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-28
Updated: 2015-04-28
Packaged: 2018-03-26 06:29:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3840571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TurtleLoveNote/pseuds/TurtleLoveNote
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post coda fix-it. Beth survived the gunshot wound. After walking up in trunk of a car Beth finds "help" with the wolves, when they take a liking to Alexandria Beth must fight to help her family. Rating will be changing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hope everyone likes the story it's been floating around in my head for a while, like pretty much everyone I was furious with coda so this is a fix it fic. I'll hopefully have the next update by the weekend. Hope you enjoy.

They're odd, well that's an understatement, they are extraordinarily peculiar. Although you could guess that from the 'W' carved into their foreheads. She would often catch them talking in very hushed whispers about transcendence and enlightened experiences and almost always about wolves. 

That's what they called themselves, wolves. They liked to include Beth in that group as well, even if she did not. 

She struggled to say how long she had been with them, roughly a month if the moon was anything to go by, that's how the wolves kept a schedule. Although nothing was clear to her anymore. 

She knew that at one point things were very clear to her, those she loved, right and wrong, how she would live her life. She struggled to define the most simple of things now. All that she could say for certain was that she awoke in the darkness one day, in agony. The pain searing through her skull. And ever since that day she had been trying to find something, maybe her family eventually but right now she found she was just happy with being safe at least while she often found herself struggling walk from searing headaches.

On this particular night she found herself staring into the camp fire alone, she was recovering from a headache that came on the day before. She had told the pair to leave her at camp while they made a run for supplies. Where they would get them from in the middle of the woods she wasn't entirely sure about, but she was finding it difficult to keep her eyes open so she urged them on their way. They tended to listen to her often proclaiming that she was a miracle sent to the wolves from the spirits. 

She knew that they weren't safe people, that they weren't stable, but a lot of days she struggled to walk from pain, and with her miracle status they seemed to want to keep her safe. They thought this because of the wound that resided just off centre upon her forehead. She hadn't seen it yet. All the mirrors that she came across were on cars and were either broken or dirty beyond cleaning, so the angry red mark that she knew vaguely about remained a mystery to her. 

A rustling in the tree line that surrounded her had her ambling to her feet, reaching for the metal baseball bat that had become her weapon of choice. She had found it in one of the first houses she had come across after walking up. 

The day had been mild and still, and with the wolves having been gone for nearing 2 full days she hoped that they had returned. She needed to sleep off the rest of the pain in her head.

The wolf with long, dark, greasy hair came from the tree line first, followed by his sometimes accomplice. 

He lifts a hefty backpack and stretches out his arms holding it out to her as if it was a gift. Taking the backpack from him she sits back down in front of the fire, she just hoped that whoever this bag had belonged to wasn't now like the 'sacrifice' that they had to make, seeing that woman tied to the tree while the groaners ripped into her will stay with her for the rest of her life, the sound of the woman's screams that only seemed to attract more groaners will always be the last thing she hears at night. the knowledge that they did that to the woman as a sacrifice to the spirits for their gift of her to the wolves will never leave Her throughs.

She lifts the top of the backpack and pulls out the drawstring to look inside. Short haired wolf crouches down in front of her, the backpack between them, and places his hand upon hers to stop her.

"We found something far more interesting than anything in that bag, blue eyes. "

-

"Do you really think that it's a good idea sending him back there?"

Maggie looked at Glenn, for the first time in a long time really truly looked at him. He wasn't the same boy who was on her farm, this man stood in front of her now was a man not a boy, a leader.

"I don't think we have choice. Rick killed the only doctor we have here last night. You turned up shot Glenn, we know just enough to patch people up anything more than that and we're screwed, we need a doctor wether it's now or later. We know that there is a doctor sitting in that hospital in Atlanta and the longer we leave it the more likely he is to be dead, I don't know why we left him there in the first place." Maggie turned from Glenn, leaving the room to go up the stairs. 

"Would you go back?" Glenn's question had the desired effect, he had followed her to the bottom of the stairs where she turned to face him. 

"No. You know full well I would never go back to that place." She turned and continued her journey up the stairs. Walking down the hallway to the master bedroom at the end of the hall. 

Knocking twice she waits for the drawl that tells her to come in before she does so. Morgan was sat in the bed facing the large open window that dominated the room. Rick was in front of the window, his plastered face thrown into the shadows.but it was the other two people in the room that she came for.  
"Aaron, Daryl can I speak with you for a moment please?" Maggie then left to wait for the men out in the hall, the two shared a look before turning to follow her. 

After her talk with father Gabriel the night before Maggie felt more at peace with herself and the group then she had in a long while. Although something had began to fester within Maggie since the groups arrival at Alexandria.

Her logical mind knew that she was being irrational but the new world was not the time for rational thinking. The more she thought about it the more resentment began to root in her brain over Beth. Daryl knew that Beth was weak no matter what he said, he should have protected her. Beth cared to much to fight, she was too good. 

It was that resentment that manifested into tension in the now overcrowded hall. 

"We don't have a doctor anymore. I need you to go back to the hospital in Atlanta and get that doctor." She sounded bratty even to her own ears. 

Daryl struggled with what seemed like very sudden animosity from Maggie. Although if he thought about it he really hadn't interacted with Maggie all that much in the month that they had been at Alexandria.

Aaron opened his mouth to ask something but before he could Daryl grumbled out a resounding "No." And began to walk down the stairs. 

Maggie immediately went to follow him. Arron who had come to grow somewhat close to Daryl was shocked at the finality of his friends response, so it took him a moment to jump start and turn to follow the pair.

Glenn was sat on the couch, with cushions stacked up against his back and arm to support his wound. He had heard the exchange upstairs and had thought that Daryl handled it very well. Maggie seemed to be the only one of the group unable to accept that Beth had meant something to Daryl, maybe more than any of them knew.

It was Daryl's thudding boots that Glenn herd first, heading straight for the front door, then Maggie's lighter steps following. Glenn rose from the couch after hearing the front door open and slam shut almost immediately. 

Daryl stood, beginning to feel caged in, with his back to the door. Maggie stood in front of him. 

"The hospitals were the first to go, he's a doctor, not a vet or an army medic a real doctor, maybe the last we'll ever see. I need you to go, Alexandria needs you to go." Maggie ranted. Glenn and Aaron had both made there way to the commotion. 

Aaron and Glenn could clearly see the panic in Daryl's eyes. 

"Can I talk to you, Maggie?" Glenn's question was just the distraction that Daryl needed as soon as Maggie even began to turn her head Daryl had the door open and was fleeing the house, the tension visible in his shoulders.

"You want us to make a run for a doctor?" Aaron questioned. He was met with silence. "What happened?" Yet again he was met with silence. Glenn looked to his wife with an expectant look and slight frown. 

After a moment glenn let out a sigh and said to Aaron, "Sit down, I'll explain."

-

Blue eyes, that's what they liked to call her. She knew her name, Beth, but she didn't want these wolves to know it. So when they first found her she played dumb, saying that she didn't remember anything let alone her name. It wasn't all a lie she didn't remember a lot but something's were clear to her, like knowing that she should play up to the fact that she looked defenceless and pathetic, especially considering that at the moment she kind of was.

She looked up and met the crazed man's eyes, her shoulders tensed a little, she didn't particularly have a good feeling about this at the moment.

"What did you find?" She asked, dropping down to sit on the floor, she knew that this would take a while, they had a tendency to talk too much. 

In a very menacing tone he replied, "The holy grail."

As he stood he dropped something on her lap. A few something's if the weight had anything to do with it. Both men sat close to the fire but their focus was kept on her. She lifted the several glossy sheets that has been placed in her lap and flipped them over to look.

They all contained small blurred grey images. She looked at the wolves, they sat around the fire, their watchful eyes always on her. Upon a second inspection of the top image she could make out what seemed to be walls. Giant pieces of what she assumed was metal, but couldn't be completely sure with the black and white images, supported with angled beams. The second picture showing the same walls but this time there was houses also in the image. It continued like that down the stack, varying images all showing similar things, buildings and houses, watchtowers and walls. That was until she reached the bottom few pictures of the pile. These seemed to show life, people with drinks in their hands, clean smiling faces staring back at her. 

The last picture in the pile was different though, not because it differed in colour or content but because this time she recognised the faces in the picture. 

The last clear images in her mind of her family was from the prison, after that things were just patchy, she remembers being with Daryl, and being thankful for that and she remembers them screaming at each other in the scorching heat both a little, or a lot, drunk. 

She remembers him handing her a grey cardigan when the weather turned a little cooler, and them walking and sometimes running for days on end. She remembers a well stocked cupboard with pigs feet and soda. She remembers an "oh."

Things after that are difficult, the things she has remembered are difficult for her to hold onto, they seem like a dream on the edge of her subconscious, slipping away before she can fully understand them. 

Rick's face looks older, not years but like whatever has happened to him has taken its toll. And Carl, he's taller. She silently wishes that he would get a haircut. She has to keep her face straight.

"Where did you get these?" She questioned, she tried not to sound too defensive. Or excited. 

The long haired man raises his arm, beth tries not to flinch as he brings it to her face and runs his thumb along a sensitive patch of skin. "From the bag. It was left at one of the supply sites." 

Beth felt a huge sense of relief at the knowledge that they hadn't killed a potential family member. The wolf drops his hand from her cheek and looks to the sky, he stares at the moon. 

"Tomorrow will be the third moon, we need to get back to the pack." 

The pack. That was the rest of the people, most of them men. They shared the woman. It's because if this knowledge that Beth knew she had to leave a some point soon. 

Apparently she's going to have to make an escape attempt a lot sooner than she would have liked.

-

Aaron tied to process the information that he was given about Atlanta quickly, about the blonde haired girl named Beth, Beth who had managed to live years into the apocalypse and then got shot by accident. 

Although he got the distinct feeling that people were omitting several of the facts, he had to admit Maggie was kind of right. She was not going about it the right way though.

These people in his home, they had no idea what the world was like now. That's part of the reason why Aaron took the recruiting job, it meant working outside of the walls, that way he couldn't forget, couldn't become complacent. 

Aaron walked into the house he shared with Eric, who he could currently hear banging around in the kitchen. He followed the sound.

Eric was starting what looked like a huge pot of spaghetti. He looked up to Aaron who was still wearing his blue cagoule, he had get to take it off from the night before when he returned with Morgan. 

"He's in the garage, looked kinda angry and sad so I'm making him spaghetti, he seemed to like it last time." 

Aaron walked forward into the kitchen and gave Eric a soft kiss, "You're too good." He responded. 

As Eric continued to work on the food Aaron made his way to Daryl. Aaron just hoped that he could get through to him, hoped he'd let him talk to him.

He found Daryl not working on anything in particular just moving things and half attempting to clean some bits and pieces. 

"What was she like?" Aaron cringed as the question poured from his mouth, definitely the wrong thing to start off with. 

Daryl dropped the tool in his hand, which landed on a work bench with a loud clang which seemed so much louder in the silence. 

Daryl didn't say anything he just steadied a glare at Aaron which in some ways was so much worse.

Aaron made his way to the cluttered work bench that Daryl was stood at, but made sure to keep his distance.

"I think I must have started to trail you guys within the week of Atlanta, I don't claim to know what you lost Daryl but it's clear to most of us it was something important." He pauses in hopes to get a response from the man hunched over the bench.

"I saw you in front of that barn before the storm came. I know it'll be difficult and I know that Maggie isn't exactly going about it the right way, but she's right we do need someone here that knows how to treat people. The longer we leave it the less likely we are to find someone. If Judith gets anything worse than a cold there is no one here who knows how to help." 

Daryl had one thought run through his mind at that statement, Beth would do anything to keep that little girl safe, even go back there. 

It felt like a lifetime ago that Aaron heard Daryl grunt out a no in the other house, but he was so relived when he heard the gravelly voice spit out a response. 

"We leave tomorrow morning, ain't no point in wasting anymore time."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl and Aaron Make their way to Atlanta and the Wolves get back to their pack.

They decide its best to take one car with them to Atlanta. Daryl would have preferred the option to take his bike but gas was difficult to come by on the best of days. No use in wasting what he had. 

They planned to make the trip to Atlanta and back within two or three days, Aaron chose not to argue with Daryl when he insisted on no recruiting or scouting they had to get in and out. 

As they loaded the few supplies that they were taking with them into the trunk of the car, Daryl noted that the sun chose today of all days to shine. It was the lead up to winter now and the bright sun just annoyed Daryl even more than he already was. 

He will never forgive Maggie for this. After fixing the music box, hell even while they were on the road she seemed fine with him, but since coming here she's had a stick up her ass about something. He suspected she blamed him, blamed him for what happened with Beth, she didn't need to though he blamed himself enough for everyone. 

The trunk looked bare compared to how it normally does on their runs. They were taking enough food and water to last them four or Five days and enough fuel to get get them there and back (plus a little extra incase they were forced to make a detour). Providing everything was in their favour they would make it there by tonight. 

Daryl sighed after loading the last of the gas and slammed the trunk down. As he turned to make his way to the front of the car he found his path blocked by Rick.

"You know every time I leave you all on your own, I come back to some sort of disaster." Daryl's snarky comment made Rick smirk just a little.

"I wouldn't say a disaster." Rick sighed finally looking level with Daryl. "The guy was losing it he had to go."

Rick didn't need a response from Daryl he knew what he would have said, that he had lost it too. And Carol wasn't far behind. But the people living here were delusional, thinking that this place was permanently safe, sadly the group knew from experience that no place was. 

"After you've gone I'm gonna call a meeting, try and sort everything out." Rick was trying to put on a reasonable guy facade but the tension in his shoulders and the slightly too alert look in his eyes gave him away. 

"Rick, you ain't in the best position to be making suggestions about how to make this place better, they were all fine till we came here. Maybe just wait till I get back and we talk it out in our group first." Daryl's voice held steady despite the internal feelings the other man knew him to be dealing with. That should have been his first clue.

Rick normally listened to Daryl, he was often the voice of reason to Rick. But this was different, Daryl was growing comfortable here, his guard was way down. They would never be safe if everyone continued to think this way. Rick had failed everyone in his group at least once in the past but not anymore, this was it, he would do whatever it takes to make them all safe. 

Daryl clapped the other man on the shoulder and made his way to the front of the car, opening the door he looked up to see Eric now stood with Aaron, saying their goodbyes . He offered a nod to the man in his own goodbye which was returned by the other man with a "Be safe." Daryl nodded a second time and lowered himself into the passenger seat of the car. It was mutually decided that Aaron would drive on the way to Atlanta and Daryl would take the drive back, that way he wouldn't have to make small talk with the doc on the way back, working under the guise of having to watch the road.

Daryl was starting to overheat in the car, never the patient kind he lent over to the drivers side and slammed his hand over the wheel, setting the horn blaring into the otherwise quite community. Daryl chuckled at the startled expressions on the faces' of the two men and found himself smiling into his clenched hand.

These two, the only two to really react out a hand to Daryl, to take the effort to look past the grumpy exterior. In the past few weeks they were the only ones that Daryl could really call friends, the friends that he arrived with all seemed to be too busy either losing their damn minds or trying so damn hard to fit into this cookie cutter mold of what they all thought they should be to settle in this community.

He understood Rick and his concerns, to an extent. The difference was that Daryl knew that these people had managed to survive this long so they were obviously doing something right. Yeah sure he could say that maybe the walls needed a little extra enforcement, and the rationing could use a little work but they were here and stable which is more than he could say for some of his group. 

With one last quick kiss Aaron finally made his way to the car, climbing in he immediately started the engine , the gate was opened, and they found themselves on the way to Atlanta. 

-

Beth was sweating, they had been hiking uphill for most of the day. She had forgotten how far they had traveled in the month that they were separated from the pack. 

She was filled with dread and her back ached with the tension that she was holding in her body. Beth didn't like being with the wolves on the best of days but she hated being with the pack. By the same token however being in a larger group meant she could slip away a lot easier, she just needed a decent look at the map that was in the backpack they found. 

Unlike when they were in the field, as they liked to call it, their was no time limit on how long they would be with the larger group. In the smaller groups they had until the last night of the full moon to return if not, you were presumed dead and a ritual held to honour the spirt. 

As the three came to the top of the hill a large flat grassed area was spread out in front of them, this was the meeting spot. Although Beth remembered being here last time the memory was blurry and not the best to call upon, but now she noted that everything seemed clearer. 

As it was late afternoon by the time Beth and her two companions made it back to the clearing, which meant that the grassy space was teeming with people. Beth imagined that if you looked at it from above, that they'd all look like tiny ants milling about the place. Although the milling had stopped once they had made it too the clearing. 

"Where is the chief?" The question came from the short haired wolf. Beth had hoped to maybe get two minuets alone with that map before it was given to their chief but that was looking unlikely. 

They were informed that the chief was was with the high council in the woods, about 15 minuets North of where they were currently stood.

When the two wolves begin their walk to the surrounding northern woods, Beth immediately took the chance to sit down on the edge of the group and try and think about what she was going to do. Her family was out there and whoever had owned that backpack possibly knew them.

But that would mean fate having to actually work in her favour, which it hadn't in the past so why would it start now. As soon as she sat down the short haired man turned to her, looking confused he said, "Come, blue eyes." 

It was a soft command but that was what it was, a command. 

Beth stood wiping her sweaty palms agains her torn jeans, she had managed to swap out most of the bloody clothing that she woke up in, but her jeans remained. A constant reminder of something that she couldn't quite put her finger on. 

Looking at them, she questioned "why?" She couldn't understand why she'd need to be at a council meeting, from past experience she knew not to trust anyone and these people were just letting her into their main inner circle, they barely new her.

"You are our connection to the spirits, the chief will want to know what you think." This time it was the greasy wolf that spoke. Beth always new that these guys had lost it long ago but looking into their eyes at that moment she wondered if they had any grasp on the situation at all. Did they really understand what was going on in the world right now. She new she had to leave, and standing there she made a promise to herself that she would haul ass as soon as she could. 

As promised the council was just a short walk away from the main group. The council consisted of maybe fifteen people including Beth.

The chief was a man who demanded attention, he was maybe her fathers age, what set him apart was the constantly fresh "W" wound on his forehead. Unlike the others he never let his heal to a scar, it was always new. His hair was mostly grey but had a sandy tone to it, short as it was he still slicked it back so it sat flat against his skull. He had a full large body and when he looked at Beth he reminded her of a snake more than a wolf. Wolves were warm this being in front of her was cold through and through 

After the customary greetings from those that has returned, the long haired man Beth was with spoke up, "Sir, we would like to show you something that was found at one of our supply sites."

There was no warming tone in his voice when he replied, he sounded dead inside, "Come forward, come forth and show me."

Beth had always feared the slightly unhinged nature to the man that she traveled with but watching the man approach the chief, unable to meet the older mans eyes, she realised that maybe her fear was placed in the wrong person, for now. 

Beth recognised these thoughts somewhat, but much of her first visit with the pack she was unable to recall clearly. Only recently has the pain in her head started to settle, maybe in the past two weeks, so that she could go two or three days without having to take herself and 'rest up'. She found that the more time that passed the more confident she became in the memory's that she was retaining. The memory's that were closer to her waking, were always blurry, always missing something. 

Beth's traveling companion knelt at the chief's feet with the backpack, slipping his hand into the front pocket he pulled out the stack of photographs, Beth's lifeline at this point in time. He held out the photographs in both hands to the chief, raised over his dipped head like a true offering. 

Dirty long fingernails curl around the stack of images and bring them upwards towards an equally dirty face for inspection. Beth watches the man's seemingly uninterested face, evenly flipping the images until he comes to the last few in the stack. His interest is peaked. 

The mans stale voice asks, "And do we know where the people seem to be living, in complete comfort?" 

"There is a map, in the bag." Came an immediate response.

"Are we going?" Beth couldn't help the question from slipping out. 

The mans gaze completely focused on her made Beth very uncomfortable, she found herself wanting to look anywhere but at the man, but she focused her gaze back at him. She had to stay strong at least until she could get back.

"The harvest from a location like this could sustain us for a very, very long time. Pass me the map, young one we should see how far we are from the harvest." 

Hearing the man refer to this place as a harvest sent shivers down her spine. Their leader took the map from the man still knelt at his feet, he unfolded it with what could be mistaken as care, and held the large sheet up to his face. 

He seemed to study the map with a great intensity. The sun was setting low in the sky and hit the paper in such a way that Beth could faintly see the markings that had been made on the map through the back. Their "harvest" wasn't hard to miss at all, it was outlined by a small deep black circle, the trouble was she just needed to know where she was know. 

The man looked up from the map with a huge smiley stretched across his skin. 

"Well it seems like the spirits wish us well." His cold voice paused, and he took the time to look into each of the peoples faces that surrounded him. 

"We aren't even Two days travel from there." 

Beth felt like she never understood the true meaning of the word restraint until hearing that, two days, that was it. 

"How is the army looking?" The question from the chief confused Beth, what army, the people out in the field, half of them looked like they wouldn't know what to do with a knife in their hands let alone any other weapon. 

"I checked five our of the seven holding areas on the last field trip, most are full to capacity, and the rest are close to full capacity." The response came from a large man who had yet to speak, his presence bothered Beth, put her on edge, he didn't look to friendly. 

"And it only took us six months to fill them?" The question was met with no objections. 

"We'll if no one else has seen any other harvest sites equal or larger than this one, then I think it may be time to use the army and move further north for the winter." 

Army? Beth didn't want to question anything and draw more attention to herself in front of these people, she would ask her traveling companions later. The lesser of many evils. 

"Unless there is anyone massively injured I think everyone here on this council should be the ones heading the army, I also think we should be aiming to harvest as soon as possible. Winter is right on our heels, we shouldn't be waiting." 

Although Beth didn't want to head up any "army" she chose to keep quiet, she needs to be able to get there first, she just needed to figure out how. 

-

Daryl and Aaron managed to make it too Atlanta in good time. Hugely thanks to Aaron being perceptive, reading the tension in Daryl's figure and knowing that the sooner the got there and hopefully talked this doctor into joining them the quicker that they could head back home.

Home, it was still an odd concept to both of the men sitting in the car. Both still sat on the outskirts of what is potentially a very good thing. 

They were sitting quietly in the car, they had made it to Atlanta just an hour or so after sundown, with it being so close to winter they both knew that the people in that hospital would still be awake. 

They were parked just outside of the gates to the hospital, Daryl could feel the whole world close in on him just a little bit. Beth was the only damn light in this world and those people in that hospital had taken that away from him. 

What bothered him the most is what Judith would become now. Beth, she held onto he old world while adapting to the new one, she was still the old Beth that was on the farm, just badass. All the other members of the group were different, completely torn down and rebuilt by this new world. Judith would never had a shred of normality in her life if it was left to those people to raise her, thats why Daryl took it upon himself to take care for her when he could. 

They had been sat out there for a while now, Daryl not wanting to go in and Aaron not wanting to make a move until Daryl did so. 

"Come on. We've been waiting enough as it is." Daryl forced out, as he hauled his tensed body up and out of the car, he swung his heavy crossbow across his shoulders, making his way around the car he made sure to quickly sweep the street before approaching the chain linked fence. 

Aaron the ever supportive friend wasn't far behind him, trying a light push against the fence they found it to be well chained shut this time. 

Not one to waste anymore time Daryl made it up and over the fence before Aaron could ask what they were going to do. 

The rattling noise of the fence causes the few walkers that are in the yard to become aware of the two men's presence. It didn't take Aaron and Daryl long to deal with the walkers. Looking at the locked fence, Daryl came to the conclusion that it looked like these people hadn't learnt their lesson at all, they were still living as they were. After everything that went down, shit was the same.

"Why haven't they come down? They would have seen us in the car before we even made it in here." Aaron's question was a valid one but Daryl also knew that these people were idiots 

Fighting his urge to turn around and go back to Alexandria and tell Maggie to fuck herself, Daryl hung his head and made his way to the entrance of the hospital. 

The only sound that could be heard as they made there way up the stairs was the clanging of the two pairs of boots against the metal staircase. 

While walking up those godforsaken stairs the only thing that was in Daryl's head was the last time he was there, carrying a dead body. With every step he took up those stairs the more he lost every bit of good that being at Alexandria and becoming friends with Aaron and Eric had done. 

After what seemed like an age Daryl stopped outside the door that would lead them to the fifth floor. 

Aaron sensing that this was probably one of those times that it was best just to stay back, did just that. The light that was shining from the hall threw Daryl into a shadowed shillouet. It was deeply upsetting to Aaron to see his friend retreat back to that man that was hurting from outside the barn. 

But they had to push forward. 

"I already know the answer but on the off chance that I'm wrong, you want me to go in there? You can head back to the car." 

Almost immediately Daryl's head began to shake, no of course not. And with that he went into action, pushing the door forward he made his way into the light. 

Daryl wasn't quite sure what he was expecting, but seeing that hall again threw him off, it was were the light went out for him. The hallway which was covered in blood last time he was here was clean, like nothing had ever happened. 

But there at the end of the hall exactly like last time was a group of officers and patients. Turning to Daryl, Aaron could easily see that both him and the people at the end of the hall all wore matching expressions of terror on their faces. 

The three officers that were at the front of the group. Had their arms raised, holding guns, their was a slight wobble to their arms that gave them away.

That's when Aaron's natural tendency to alleviate tension kicked in, raising his arms much like he did the first time he approached Maggie and Sasha, he steps ahead of Daryl, "So, I'm Aaron. I believe you already know my friend here." 

As anyone could image it did nothing to relive any tension, if anything it got worse. 

Surprisingly Daryl was the one who spoke next, his low voice held a quiet authority in the tense hallway.

"Look we don't want any trouble we just wanna speak with the doc." 

"That all?" The response came from the woman stood front and centre. She was one of the ones they had held "hostage" last time. 

Clearly they had made a lasting impression.

"Turn round. His office is at the end of the hall, last door on the left." 

Both Daryl and Aaron shared a look as they turned for that.

"Last door in the left, like we need any more bad omens." 

Daryl smirked at that. That's what he found himself drawn too about Aaron, he never felt the need to bitch and whine about the situation, he would just make a snarky comment, and right now Daryl found himself really appreciating that quality. 

It didn't take more than thirty seconds for them to reach the doctors door. Aaron rose his hand to knock on the door but thought twice about it, sighing he just opened the door and strolled in. 

There was something that was distinctly not doctor office-like about the room they just stepped into. The room was dark, which was odd and dominated by a very large oak desk, as well as copious amounts of artwork. For a room that in theory should have a warm feel to it, it just resonated coldness.

The somewhat young doctor in glasses looked up from whatever it was he was reading on his desk.

"Can I help you?." The doctor looked petrified. 

Aaron could see that he was gonna have to sell Alexandria to the doctor, but he knew that already, Daryl even getting into the car to come here in the first place was a huge deal. So as Daryl skulked in the shadows of the room, Aaron moved towards the doctor holding out his hand. 

"Yeah, well we're here to talk about a proposition. I'm Aaron." The doctor rose to take the friendlier mans hand. 

"Steven Edwards." That was all the reponse the doctor gave. 

As the doctor took his place back behind the large desk Daryl saw Aaron take a seat without asking, he was laying down the law with this guy, he was here to collect him not make negotiations for him to consider returning with them, it was interesting to see this side of Aaron. 

There was a lengthy discussion that Daryl didn't care for, about Alexandria and the people there, about how there was an unfortunate situation and their doctor was no longer with them, at that point daryl wondered that if the doctor really knew what happened, would he even want to consider returning with the men. 

Judith was brought up, she was a good bargaining chip to have on their side after all. At the mention of Judith the doctor had said that Beth would often speak about her whist she was at the hospital, he also said that once Beth started taking of her family there was no stopping the smile that would spread across her face, that managed to put Daryl on the back foot again. 

It came to light that things were tenuous at best at the hospital, they hadn't been taking in any new 'patients' so the hospital had been dying out so to speak. As well as that the officers that were now in charge would argue that they were nothing like Dawn they were much worse in some ways, never letting anyone leave, even the other officers, rationing out supplies to the bare minimum, not for those in charge though, just the patients, to the point were several of said patients were well on their was to becoming critical.

As it turned out there wasn't really any conversation to be had, the doc had been looking for any excuse to leave, turns out the last patient they took in had been a doctor and since there was no new patients were coming in there was no need for him to be there. So when Aaron had suggested coming back with them to Alexandria the guy had nearly bitten Aaron's hand off to agree. 

Daryl had managed to be silent through the entire exchange so it was a slight shock to hear his voice ring out in the office, "We leave tomorrow first thing, you grab any supplies you can on your way out and you only bring what you need, don't need to be cartin' shit like that back with us." Daryl jabbed his thumb at a large painting in the office. Daryl turned towards the door, ready to leave, he really had, had enough of this place. 

Before leaving the office though he grunted out a "Your dealing with those pricks out there too." 

The last Steven and Aaron saw of Daryl for the moment was his tense back as he left the room. 

Aaron decided he should take that as his que to leave too, standing he one again held out his hand to the doctor, "Once again, nice to see you. I shall see you first thing." 

It was a statement that was posed as a question but really didn't need a response. Just as well as Aaron didn't really wait around for one either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's late, I really struggled with this chapter, but chapter 3 is mostly done so that should be up very soon. Thanks.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed.


End file.
